LinkedIn is a great online resource for professionals. This social networking site is used all over the world by both individuals and companies as they make their way through the professional world. Technology is a huge part of our world today, which makes LinkedIn the perfect tool for professionals – all you need is a device that can access the Internet. Its many features make it easy to navigate the professional world online.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn launched in 2003, and has been gaining popularity ever since. As of 2016, it has over 433 million members and is in use in over 200 countries and territories. By joining these hundreds of millions of members, you enter this online community that is chock-full of people, jobs, and resources. That is LinkedIn’s mission, after all – to help its users be great at what they do.

You can create an account on LinkedIn for free. You also have the option of obtaining a premium account for monthly fees that vary from plan to plan. Premium accounts offer extra features such as being able to contact employers directly and getting insight into a business.

However, even without purchasing Premium, LinkedIn is extremely helpful when you want to create a professional online profile, network, and find jobs. This article on Forbes.com illustrates a few of LinkedIn’s useful features and tips on how to use the site. It highlights some key aspects of the website, such as suggested jobs and the option to find jobs through networking.

LinkedIn Profiles

The first step in utilizing LinkedIn is to create a profile which captures the attention of employers and demonstrates your skills and experience. Your profile is a professional resume that can be viewed by other users – whether they are employers, acquaintances, or other individuals trying to find work. Therefore, you should strive to make your profile impressive with lots of relevant information about yourself. Here’s mine, in case you want to take a look. If you would put it on a resume, you should put it on your LinkedIn profile. Content you can include is your work experience, education, skills, and even a professional summary of yourself. LinkedIn allows you to know how many people have viewed your profile in the past ninety days. That way, you can figure out if what you’re posting is working or not.

Pulse by LinkedIn allows users to create posts. The content of these posts vary widely – some are tips on starting your own business, others provide information on current events in the business world. Anyone can create a post on Pulse – even you. You just need an idea and you can begin writing. You can add tags to your post so others can find your content easily. Here are my Pulse posts, as an example.

LinkedIn Job Search

And lastly, LinkedIn serves as a website where you can find job openings. The layout of LinkedIn makes it easy to navigate the different parts of the “Jobs” section.

Firstly, the “Discover” tab allows you to find jobs that LinkedIn thinks you might be interested in. It provides an extensive list of job openings in your area. “My jobs” provides all the jobs you have saved for later, and all the jobs you have applied for. And lastly, “Preferences” helps you choose which jobs you’d like to see when you search for openings.

Of course, LinkedIn also provides a search option where you can search for jobs by their job titles, keyword, company name, and/or location. These search options let users narrow down their results, allowing you to find the type of job you want.